In the critically acclaimed television show The Wire, it was referred to as taking the heart out of the game.  A division of the Baltimore police department decided to create a legal drug trade in order to reduce crime on the streets.  The experiment did not produce a Utopia but crime did drop significantly and the problems associated with the drug trade were no longer hidden away in the underbelly of society and could be directly addressed.

When a government chooses prohibition over regulation industries are forced to go underground.  If a product or service has enough demand it is naïve for a government to think it can be swept under the carpet and simply go away.  The industry is bound to find some form of organization and if it is lucrative enough it is likely to be organized by criminals.

Online casinos do not deserve to be organized by criminals.  It is a very lucrative business with a lot of potential for growth and to become a legitimate source of gambling entertainment in the United States.  All of the games found at online casinos are perfectly legal in several states in the Untied States.  It makes no sense to make the games illegal just because the electronic version is more quickly accessible.

Problem gambling is a legitimate concern, but prohibition is not the way to address it.  A problem gambler will find ways gamble online if they so desire.  But they are unlikely to seek help if gambling online is considered illegal.